Vertical Bridge, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today announced the promotion of two of its longest serving leaders to Executive Vice President. Johnny Crawford was named Executive Vice President of Development, and Bob Paige was appointed Executive Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Development. “Bob and Johnny have been leaders …
Jimmy Miller will maintain the helm at NATE assisted by Victor Drouin and Kevin Dougherty
NATE announced today that Board of Directors’ members Jimmy Miller, Victor Drouin and Kevin Dougherty were elected by their peers to serve on the Association’s Executive Committee for the upcoming year. The Association made the announcement on the first day of the NATE UNITE 2022 Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jimmy Miller, President and CEO of MILLERCO …
Lawsuit filed against Georgia city after its Council slights a Shriners’ site for T-Mobile
Municipal Communications of Atlanta, GA filed a lawsuit against Columbus, GA and its mayor and council members stating that it is violating federal law by blocking its requests to build a T-Mobile cell tower that’s necessary to improve coverage in the area near heavily trafficked I-185. Though T-Mobile already has 37 cell sites in Columbus, Municipal told a Georgia federal …
You’ll now be able to schedule an NWSA practical exam in minutes
The National Wireless Safety Alliance is upgrading its practical exam application process to a new online system starting on March 1, 2022. Candidates simply complete an online application via the NWSA website and pay for their exams in advance of their exam administration. In minutes after their application and payment are processed, candidates will receive an authorization code via email …
D.C. Court puts an end to Children’s Health Defense’s ‘wireless wild west’ OTARD charges
A three-judge panel of the D.C. Federal Appeals Court on Friday rejected a challenge to the FCC’s decision to amend its over-the-the-air reception device (OTARD) rule to remove a commercial use restriction. The justices stated in their opinion that the FCC had “sufficiently explained that its Order ‘does not change the applicability of the Commission’s radio frequency exposure requirements’ and …
It’s going to be an enjoyable maskless NATE UNITE 2022 as Caesars Forum drops mask mandate
The odds are in favor of attendees at NATE UNITE 2022 next week in Las Vegas having an even greater time now that Nevada’s casinos and convention centers no longer require indoor mask mandates. Last Thursday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the state would no longer require people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places. Sisolak said the decision, which …
USTelecom releases ‘blueprint’ for $65 billion in infrastructure grants
USTelecom | The Broadband Association, a leading association of connectivity providers and technology innovators, today released a new memo to President Biden and Vice President Harris, Cabinet secretaries, NTIA, FCC, Congress, Tribal leaders and state broadband offices with concrete recommendations to make the most of the $65 billion broadband investment in the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA). USTelecom President …
Solar storm knocks 40 SpaceX satellites out of the sky; over 1,900 had no problems
Elon Musk’s SpaceX said it lost up to 40 Starlink satellites that it launched into orbit last week from Florida because of a geomagnetic storm. The aerospace company sent 49 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on Thursday via a Falcon 9 rocket. About 80% of those satellites were “significantly impacted” by a geomagnetic storm Friday, SpaceX said in a statement Tuesday. SpaceX said …
Hopefully, ‘bloated’ rip and replace funding will exhale adequate dollars for contractors
Last week, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sounded the alarm to Congress that 181 U.S. network operators have initially requested approximately $5.6 billion from the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program to cover the costs of ripping and replacing insecure equipment and services in U.S. networks. The new cost is $3.6 billion over what Congress set aside using the FCC’s …
Jessica Cobb is newest board member of W4W as the organization approaches 3,000 veteran placements
NATE: the Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and Warriors4Wireless (W4W) today announced a further extension of their longstanding partnership and collaborative efforts advancing workforce development initiatives across the industry. Since 2018, NATE has had a Board member sitting among the select group of prominent industry organizations and companies making up the W4W Board. This partnership has helped connect 2,000 veterans to …
Violent Florida contractor guilty of $16 million DOD kickback and bribery conspiracy gets 15 years
A former Florida cell site contractor was sentenced on Friday to 15 years in prison for orchestrating a bribery and kickback conspiracy and committing fraud in connection with a contract for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG). According to court records and evidence presented at trial, beginning in 2010 and continuing through 2015, William S. Wilson, …
Austin Powers, the Rat Pack and Dolly Parton will highlight NATE UNITE 2022’s keynote luncheon
In true Vegas style, The NATE UNITE 2022 keynote luncheon will feature appearances from Austin Powers, the Rat Pack, and Dolly Parton impersonators on Tuesday, February 22 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. The luncheon is sponsored by SBA Communications and will feature Las Vegas’s most talented impersonators featuring: John Di Domenico as Austin Powers: John is an Emmy Nominated, …
As the labor pool tightens, contractors are sweetening employment offerings with bonuses
Wireless contractors and other infrastructure companies are offering bonuses to attract new hires and are rewarding employees who refer job seekers from other companies as well as inexperienced candidates that remain with the company for a set period of months. A review of Wireless Estimator help wanted ads found many companies offering from $1,000 to $5,000 sign-on bonuses as a carrot …
AT&T expects a spring or summer start of their one climb strategy that will keep contractors busy
AT&T contractors are expected to be busy in late spring or early summer as AT&T uses single tower climbs to deploy two bands of new mid-band spectrum for 5G, allowing the carrier to simultaneously expand C-band and roll out its recently won 3.45 GHz. It is possible that the upgrade build will involve approximately 25,000 cell towers since AT&T CEO John …
Thirty-year-old tower tech passes after falling from 400-foot tower in Ontario
Canada, frequently identified as one of the safest countries for tower climbers, had a fatality yesterday when a 30-year-old tower technician fell to his death in the Township of Minden Hills, Ontario. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported that at approximately 11:30 a.m., the Haliburton Highlands OPP was contacted by Haliburton County Paramedic Services (EMS) for a worker who had …
Bogus BLS averages put larger wireless contractors at a greater risk of being red-flagged
Avetta and other compliance vendors continue to use the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data to initially assess the safety culture and performance of wireless contractors through metrics such as the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) average. Compliance vendors red flag contractors if their TRIR exceeds the BLS’s current TRIR averages, even though they are aware …
Windy City Tower Techs resolves OSHA fatality investigation with zero citations relating to accident
Windy City Tower Techs, LLC (“Windy City”) suffered an unfortunate fatality incident on September 3, 2021 at a monopine telecommunications tower in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) conducted a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Importantly, OSHA found no violations relating to the fatal accident. During its inspection, OSHA learned that the employee was not …
DigitalBridge surpasses its fund target by over $2.3 billion in commitments
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. has announced that DigitalBridge Investment Management, the firm’s investment management platform, has closed its second flagship fund, DigitalBridge Partners II, LP, with $8.3 billion in commitments, surpassing its original target of $6.0 billion. The Fund received strong demand from a diverse, global group of new and existing investors, resulting in an over 100 percent re-up rate from …
Proposed OSHA heat stress rule should be looked at from a tower climber’s elevation: NATE
OSHA states that it is aware that 70% of heat-related deaths and serious illnesses occur within the first few days of work, and upwards of 50% occur on the first day of work for workers who have not been acclimatized to hazardous heat, and recommends a reduced schedule of strenuous work in outdoor or indoor settings. The agency believes that …
Supreme Court blocks Biden’s Covid vaccine and testing mandate for large contractors and vendors
The Supreme Court today blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine or testing mandate for large employers, allowing wireless contractors and suppliers with over 100 employees to not adhere to OSHA’s vaccine Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Although there were guidelines that should have been in place following the January 10 deadline, two large contractors had not required the testing …
